Craven Arms glass-throwing man given final warning
A drunken man who threw five pint glasses at bar staff the night before his birthday has been spared a jail sentence.
Gary Roberts hurled the glasses at the landlady and a barmaid at the Craven Arms Hotel after they refused to serve him. None of the glasses hit anyone, although the barmaid was so distressed she went home early.
Roberts had been drinking at the pub for more than two hours on Monday evening, and had been drinking earlier, Telford magistrates heard.
Roberts, 33, who is serving a community order and has previous convictions for criminal damage and a public order offence, was told by magistrates he was being given one last chance because he has found a job.
Roberts, of Coronation Road in Craven Arms, admitted criminal damage and using threatening, abusive and insulting behaviour when he appeared at the court yesterday.
He was given an eight-week jail sentence suspended for 12 months and placed under a three- month curfew from of 7pm to 4.30am, barred from the pub for three months and ordered to pay £5 for the broken glass, £85 court costs and an £80 surcharge. He was also ordered to pay £30 a week to pay off an outstanding fine of £580.
The court was also told Roberts had carried out 17 and a half of 220 hours of community service following a previous incident, and had not seen his probation officer since August.
Magistrate Lesley Thirlwell said any of these could lead to a prison sentence but said she was giving Mr Roberts one final chance because he had found a job at a slaughterhouse.
She said: "This is your last opportunity but you will have a curfew. You are now a working man so to sent you into custody would mean losing your job. This is your opportunity to stay out of trouble.
"I cannot see how any further breach will lead to anything other than a custodial sentence."
The court heard Roberts had been drinking before he arrived at the hotel about 6.30pm. At 8.45pm he was told he would no longer be served at which point he threw the glasses.
Sara Beddow, prosecuting, said the actions had caused staff and customers a lot of distress.
Tim Talbot-Webb, for Roberts, said: "It's better for him to be working than to go to prison."
